VMC achieves national accreditation by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Quality Improvement Program

GREENVILLE- Patients seeking surgical options at Vidant Medical Center (VMC) for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment at a nationally-accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care.

VMC has been reaccredited as a comprehensive center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

“VMC ensures that a bariatric surgical patient receives a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure,” said Samantha Casper, bariatric coordinator at VMC. “This improves patient outcomes and long-term success.”

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, VMC met essential criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. The hospital underwent an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviewed the structure, process and clinical outcomes data.

In addition to earning this reaccreditation, Casper was chosen to participate in the practice analysis section of the Bariatric Certification Advisory Committee with ASMBS. The Certified Bariatric Nurse (CBN) program is designed to assess the professional competence of practitioners of bariatric nursing, which has certified more than 1,200 nurses since 2007.

In the United States, around 15.5 million people suffer from severe obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the numbers continue to increase. Obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions that are commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks. Metabolic and bariatric surgical procedures have proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to severe obesity.

About Vidant Health
Vidant Health is a mission-driven, 1,439-bed health system that annually serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties. The not-for-profit system is made up of 12,000 employees, eight hospitals, home health, hospice, wellness centers, and Vidant Medical Group, a multispecialty physician and provider group with more than 420 providers in 80 practice sites. Vidant Health is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. As a major resource for health services and education, Vidant Health has a mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. For more information, visit www.vidanthealth.com.